Retina-Resolution Displays to Add Up to $100 to Apple's MacBook Pro Costs

[MacinDoc]

As much as I love the Apple kit, retina screen or no retina screen .... it'll be as over priced and lacking in features compared to others as usual (and as usual, they'll sell millions!)

Other than the geriatric Mac Pro, name another Apple product that is overpriced and lacking in features versus comparable others. Now if you're talking upgrades to HDDs and RAM, I couldn't agree more. But most current Apple products, particularly the MBA, are reasonably priced compared to equivalent competitors. Not that you can't find bargains here or there, but premium products made by companies like Sony are similarly priced to Apple products. The main problem with Apple's pricing is that it remains static, even if a computer has not been updated for a year or more (see again Mac Pro). So yes, for older products, you could say that Apple's products are less competitively priced.

 

[jicon]

I'm assuming Hi-Res displays will be an option, because there will have to be some compromises to keep prices where they are...

Hi-Res screens will cost more.
The Ivy Bridge chipset and CPUs are significantly more from Intel.
If SSD is standard, and not an option... to maximize battery, then again, game over. These will be expensive.

I'm more interested in the Intel Tock next year, to see what we are able to get performance and battery wise out of the next CPU and chipset. 45w chips aren't exactly sipping on the battery, and carry a minimal performance increase compared to last year.

Only additional plus I've heard on Ivy Bridge CPUs are the integrated Intel 4000 graphics... which are still Intel graphics unfortunately.

 

[-LikesMac-]

Retina Displays are going to be cool...though I wonder what kind of GPUs Apple is going to use for their computers, especially the MBP 13 and the MBAs.

 

[heisetax]

"Unaddressed is the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which would require a display of 3840x2400 and undoubtedly carry an even higher price premium over the current display." The video cards used in the Mac Pro has been able to handle that kind of resolution for many years now. I'd be happy to see that kind of resolution on any size of display. For my work most of that would be wasted as I enjoy the so called lower resolution but larger screened Android Phone compared to the much higher resolution but much smaller screened iPhone 4s. For the work I do the current 1920X 1200 almost goes wasted. Now if you are talking about a 21, 24, 27 or even 30 in laptop then I'd be able to use some of those extra pixels. Even if I would not be needing the extra resolution much of the current time there are many that would. With that kind of base for larger Hi DPI screens there would soon be a need for it for me. Resolution is one of those things that more is generally better.

What I want in my new 17" or larger laptop is an Quad-Core Intel I7 processor running at or above the 3 GHz that we were promised 7 years ago just by changing to an Intel processor over a PPC version. This would be acceptable to be much thicker than the current Next would be 16-32 GB of RAM. The ability to have 2 internal SATA III HDD or SSDs. The optical drive area is now currently used as the location of my second hard drive in my 2 year old 17" Intel MacBook Pro. A built-in numeric keypad so I don't have to carry my wired extended keyboard to get that ability. By now the Mac OS 10.6 or later would be good. Mac OS 10.7 or above is not needed & not preferred. There just are so many needed things missing now in Lion. This is about time to talk about a Hi DPI screen. But larger was mentioned first. Things like speakers are optional. A numeric keypad is more important to me & probably to many others. Thicker allows both. HP can do it in a 15" but Apple can't do it even in a 17" model.

I'm waiting for a new model. My wife is waiting for mine. Also a business friend is waiting for my Mac Pro. So I' really double waiting. Hi DPI I've been waiting for years. I'd like a 70-80" display for my customers to watch my work but I'm not sure that the current Low DPI 1920 X 1080 would be so good at the short distances that I use. My current 47" display is 5 - 6 years old.

 

[GenesisST]

i don't mind paying an extra $100 for retina

I'm sure Stevie, Ray and Roy would agree!

 

[mkimid]

Just $100 ?

To support high resolution, Apple need to upgrade VGA & CPU performance dramatically. And, possibly, battery also. I will makes much more cost up. Even VGA should be modified to support high resolution, and 3D performance will be terrible,
Specially, I worry about the compatibility issues under BootCamp, because of the softwares are not ready for HiResolution Display.
There are so many big challenges

 

[Soulweaponry]

This is just like when people were speculating that the iPad will be more expensive because its retina. Remember that? AND how it turned out?

RUMOR: iPad 3 with Retina display may see $70-80 price hike over iPad 2

Considering how overpriced macs are compared to everything else, i highly doubt they'd take the leap to going from "highly overpriced" to "higher highly overpriced". The mac line is already in premium product territory. To increase price when they're trying to get more people to buy macs, would be insane. No...just no. Price has already been a barrier for millions of people wanting to try mac. No way in hell they'll increase the price of an already expensive thing.

 

[marcusj0015]

Actually it's "somebody's."

Lol, that one got by me, You've got a pretty ****** argument if you have to argue over spelling and grammar thought.

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One word.

Five letters.

G-R-E-E-D.



No thanks. The AG filter reduces color accuracy and gamut.





The reflection is a disadvantage, but the advantages (see above) more than make up for it.



They want their usual 60% profit margin...

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/03/02/what-doth-it-profit-an-iphone/

Being in IT and reading up, MacBook pros easily fetch higher than a 50% profit margin as well.

Why should Apple bite any bullet?

(a) that's our job in the new normal, apparently

(b) they have a history of up-charging for generic, commodity components

Even in the 1990s, Apple sold premium prices for general off-the-shelf stuff (the competing Atari ST was far cheaper and more powerful than the Mac with the same hardware... and the ST could be rigged to emulate a Mac by just buying Mac ROMs! And neither OS, at the time, had a distinct advantage - but today's OS X definitely has advantages over Windows to be sure, even if the Motorola CPU line was historically better than Intel's but I can't deny Intel has made fantastic strides... Yet ARM has a ways to go in terms of content creation performance and it appears Apple is heading in that direction, unfortunately... time reveals all...)



In terms of mere parts, yes...

Not including the drive anymore but selling it as a convenient $90 attachment is far more valuable, and most people do need an optical drive for install purposes - especially Adobe users; if they think Adobe will go though Apple's app store and give up 30% of each sale, then somebody is smoking some primo stuff, and customers will not want to see a 30% price hike either...

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Very true.

The GUI will render text in the appropriate size...

But will apps play nice with the higher PPI? Or will Photoshop's menu icons be 50% smaller and therefore harder to click on until Adobe puts out an updated version... or if OS X upscales the images, leaving them soft and fuzzy but more usable...

Either way, Retina is a WIN for MacBooks, not just for real estate but especially if the color and shadow gamut are there...

I REALLY hope the color accuracy improves, not that it's bad already, but damn could you imagine?

 

[Mr. Strategery]

My guess is Apple will either keep the price the same, with matte versions being additional as they always were (for whatever reason).

 

[Jiten]

The only thing I wanted is for Apple laptops to sport IPS screens now we get much more. Very excited for my next upgrade. My only question is, won't pushing that much pixels strain the GPU? Make the unit hotter?

 

[marcusj0015]

This is just like when people were speculating that the iPad will be more expensive because its retina. Remember that? AND how it turned out?

RUMOR: iPad 3 with Retina display may see $70-80 price hike over iPad 2

Considering how overpriced macs are compared to everything else, i highly doubt they'd take the leap to going from "highly overpriced" to "higher highly overpriced". The mac line is already in premium product territory. To increase price when they're trying to get more people to buy macs, would be insane. No...just no. Price has already been a barrier for millions of people wanting to try mac. No way in hell they'll increase the price of an already expensive thing.

Great point, I hope it turns out like it did with the iPad 3.

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The only thing I wanted is for Apple laptops to sport IPS screens now we get much more. Very excited for my next upgrade. My only question is, won't pushing that much pixels strain the GPU? Make the unit hotter?

No, it won't bother it at all, except for hardcore gaming.

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Just $100 ?

To support high resolution, Apple need to upgrade VGA & CPU performance dramatically. And, possibly, battery also. I will makes much more cost up. Even VGA should be modified to support high resolution, and 3D performance will be terrible,
Specially, I worry about the compatibility issues under BootCamp, because of the softwares are not ready for HiResolution Display.
There are so many big challenges

Windows 8 will support High res, so will Windows 7, and I'm saying that as a man who's made his own Windows 7 theme. -_- Everything you just said was complete ******** and you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

 

[jgc]

Personally I think I'd rather just have the current display on the MBA 13 even if a 'retina display' was the same price. I'd prefer an increase in CPU/GPU power and battery life over having a clearer display. I have an iPhone 4 and I do appreciate the amazing display on it, however resolution on laptops really don't really bother me. I'm currently working on a 15.6" 1366x768 display with an external 20" 1600x900. 101 and 84 ppi respectively if my math is right. I have no problems with their screens whatsoever. The MBA is already an amazing improvement.

 

[coolguy$$$]

Since all other vendors are bring their laptop prices down, Apple would follow the same pattern.
As I remember, Apple didn't increase the iphone 4 price, when they came up with retina displays.

 

[pacalis]

Bad time to be increasing prices with the way the economy is right now.

If the gave a choice of 1900x1200 or 2880x1800retina but only 1440x900 usable res I'd go for the 1900x1200, because regardless whether it has the "retina" label, to my eyes it will be.

Both 1200 and 1800 would be amazing in a 15". But I just don't get comments like this. Many apps can take scale advantage of the higher res, even if the OS doesn't. So you will get the real-estate improvements even if your icons are the same size.

 

[fertilized-egg]

I REALLY hope the color accuracy improves, not that it's bad already, but damn could you imagine?

Odd thing is, the new iPad has the best color accuracy among consumer products right now and most posters online don't seem to care.I wonder if the market don't care about color accuracy that much.

 

[iSayuSay]

Prediction: Apple charges $200 for retina at launch, makes it free only 3 months later, and offers to give early-adopters a $50 App store gift card.

Easy then. Don't buy early
Patience is virtue.

And that's the whole point of economy. Consumers supposed to pay a lot of premium for being the first and early adopters. You dont want to be ripped off? it's one word.. Wait

 

[shurcooL]

Odd thing is, the new iPad has the best color accuracy among consumer products right now and most posters online don't seem to care.I wonder if the market don't care about color accuracy that much.

Only real professionals that deal with precise image editing care; 99%+ couldn't care less if the colours are accurate and in fact they prefer oversaturated ones that "look nicer."

 

[vikpt]

The Macbook Pros are already expensive enough! Please don't increase the price anymore Apple!

 

[Rennir]

Odd thing is, the new iPad has the best color accuracy among consumer products right now and most posters online don't seem to care.I wonder if the market don't care about color accuracy that much.

People here complain about over saturated OLED screens on android phones all the time

 

[MattInOz]

Making a unibody MacBook Pro from a solid aluminum billet is not easy or cheap. Fact.

But it's easier and cheaper now they've been doing it for a few years.

 

[fpsBeaTt]

THIS.

Those glossy MIRROR screens are AWFUL.

Actually, in high levels of light the glossy are superior, since they don't uniformly distribute the light across the entire display. i.e. on glossy, you'll get one point of reflection, on matte the entire display will be washed out.

 

[Gata]

But it's easier and cheaper now they've been doing it for a few years.

Aluminum doesn't just get cheaper.

Manufacturing costs might, but those are already relatively small, meaning Apple's just going to increase profit margins instead of decreasing price.

 

[Identity Fraud]

THIS.

Those glossy MIRROR screens are AWFUL.

The antiglare coating on the mate is kinda agressive. I actually like the MBA 'glossy' as its a decent middleground.

 

[MattInOz]

Aluminum doesn't just get cheaper.

Manufacturing costs might, but those are already relatively small, meaning Apple's just going to increase profit margins instead of decreasing price.

It might be small, but lots of little savings across the build budget add up and let them do things like go retina within that budget.

 

[Sylon]

I just bought my first Mac, and hearing all the rumors that the 13" Pro is being discontinued, and seeing how crappy websites and pics look on my iPad3, I'm not concerned at all about the retina MacBooks. Sure it would have been nice, but eh. I'm satisfied with my MacBook right now. I'm glad I got the last of the 13" MBP's.